Fire extinguisher



Aug. 9, 1 932.

J. G. scHooLER FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Feb. 25, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1932. J. G. scHooLER FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Feb. 25, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Jcoolz ATTORNEY Aug- 9, 1932 J. G. scn-looLr-:Rv

FIRE EXTINGUISHER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 25, 1929 lill/ INVENTOR n 6. 'Cwk ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 9, 1,932.

UNrrED STATES ATENT FIRE EXTINGUISHER Application filed February 25, 1929. Serial No. 342,416.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatuses for extinguishing tires, and it consists of the constructions, combinations y and arrangements herein described and Ai claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a iire extinguishing apparatus which embodies a novel trip mechanism which is normally l kept in the inoperative condition by a destructible link, the destruction of said link, for example by lire, bringing about the operation of a certain weight and lever mechanism through the agency of which a fire extinguishing agent is released so as to quench the lire.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a fire extinguisher which will be set in operation automatically upon the occurrence of a fire at any ordinary level within the hazard.

A further object of the invention is to store an extinguishing agent and a propelling agent in separate containers which are ordinarily sealed oft' from each other, thus relieving the extinguishing agent from pressure until a re has destroyed the automatic trip release, and reducing to a minimum the dissie pation and deterioration of the extinguishf ing agent.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a vertical section of a storage tank, the fire extinguisher being shown in its operative relationship thereto,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the parts in Fig. l, portions of the tank top being broken away,

Figure 3 is a detail view of one of the spray plates,

Figure 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, particularly illustrating the containers of the propelling' and extinguishing' agents,

Figure 5 is a detailed view of the tank top packing box in which one of the shackle rods slides,

Figure 6 is a section of the weights by which the trip lever is actuated upon the occurrence of a fire,

Figure 7 is a detail perspective view illustratmg the connection of the trip lever-with the valve stem of the propelling agent container,

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the packing box of the latter container in which the valve stem slides,

Figure 9 is a sectional view of the air valve in the bottom of said container,

Figure l0 is a sectional View of the sealer valve,

Figure 1l is a detail perspective view of 60 the trip release.

As is attested to by the frequent occurrences of fires in crude oil tanks, kerosene and gasoline tanks, manifold houses, agitation plants and the like, the storage and handling of such iniiammable substances presents a great lire hazard 'which not only involves great financial losses but also in many cases the loss of human lives. It is thus the fundamental purpose oi' the invention to stop an 70 impending ire in its incipiency, thus obviating the foregoing effects.

Repeated experiences have demonstrated the almost utter futility of attempting to cope with an oil fire after it has once gotten a good start; The usual fire fighting devices are entirely impotent in sucha case, and often the expedient of letting the ire burn itself out is adopted perforce at great cost. Itis only by utilizing an apparatus that will be set in action at the moment that a fire begins" iaihat it can be hoped to control oil or similar res.

The fire extinguisher herein disclosed is such an apparatus, and reference is made to the drawings for an understanding of the structure. A tankl (Figs. l and 2) which for convenience is herein designated the oil tank, has a floor 2 and top 3 between which a center post 4f extends for the purpose of supporting the top.

A net work of piping is spread out o-ver thek supposed oil in the tank, being located adjacent to the top 3 and above any ordinary oil level. The net work may comprise any desired coniiguration, but for illustration is shown to consist of a plurality of concentric distribution pipes 6 and two or more discharge pipes 6. These are connected with the pipes 5 in any suitable manner, and while they assist in supporting the pipes 5 the support of the net work actually falls upon a plurality of hangers 7 (Fig. 1) depending from the tank top 3.

Feed pipes 8, arranged in the form of a Y, as shown in Fig. 2, branch out from a threeway joint 9 and are connectedwith the discharge pipes 6 by means of interposed couplings 10 which make easy the assembly of thel feed pipes. The joint 9 is connected with the rigid portion 11 of a main pipe which includes a suitable hose pipe or conduit, 12 shown in Figs. 1 and 4. It is the latter into which the extinguishing agent is discharged C' from the chemical container 13 when compressed air stored in the container 14 is re-l leased by the air valve 15 in the bottom. The compressed air is herein known as the propelling agent. Y

In vorder that the extinguishing agent may be applied in case of a fire the net work of piping is perforated on the imdersideas at 16 in Fig. 3. A spray plate 17 is situated immediately under each perforation, and in order that the extinguishing agent may be spread out'most effectively the spray plate has la convexity 18 which will bring about the result in the manner suggested by dotted lines. v The use of the convexity is not neces-y sarily adhered to, it being possible to make the spray plate either flat or with a concavity.' In any instance the agent would be dashed or spread out evenly above the surface of the oil and in a generally horizon- -tal direction. This quality breaks up or Vatomizes the' extinguishing agent making it very easy for it to be converted.- into a flamesmothering gas blanketpwhichV will .exclude air and smother the flames. It is of utmost importance to apply the extinguishing agent in this manner, other ways serving only to agitate the oil, liberate more gas and increase the yintensity of the lire, making it 'harder to control. A clamp 19 connects the spray plate with the adjacent distribution or discharge Hangers 20 support the feed pipes 8 from. the top 3 of the oil tank. Other hangers 21 similarly support the inner component 22 of a trip system, this component being known as the anchor rod by virtue of its being connected through a clamp 23 with the center post of the oil tank. A trip rod 24 which is the outer component of the system,7 is slidable in a packing box 25 that is secured to the tank top as at 26. v

The inner and adjoining ends of the rods 22 and 24 are either formed into or provided with shackles 27 (Fig. 11). lt is between these shackles that a fusible or inflammable link 28 is stretched. VVhilefthe link is capable of beingmade in a vvariety of ways yet the preferred structure is aloop ofcheese Vcloth with a covering of Celluloid. A readily inflammable streamer 29 (Figs. 1 r

and 11) is suspended from the inflammable link for the purpose of instantly conducting the flame to the latter' especially when a fire occurs at low oil levels.

A cable 30 (Figs. 1 and 5) connected with the outer end of the trip r'od 24 runs over a sheave 31 that is secured to the eaves of the top 3, and is connected with a hanger rod 32 (Figs. 1, 4 and 6). This rod is suspended beside the oil tank 1 and is connected with the upper one of a pair of Weights 33 and 34. The'lower weight carries a pair of studs 35 that are slidable in the upper weight 33. rl`he upper weight is suspended from the hanger rod 32 and lower weight 33 by these studs, and the release resulting from the destruction of the link 28 will permit both weights to drop and rock the trip lever 36 on its fulcrum links 37 (Fig. 4).

Should the trip lever 36 fail to function by virtue of a possible sticking of the fulcrum link joints, the upper weight 33 would drop nevertheless and strike the lower weight 34jwith a hammer-like blow. The impact will be suiicient to overcome any sticking so that the trip-lever 36 will be rocked and the valve stem 38 with its connected air valve 15 will be raised. For this purpose the ends of the trip lever are respectively connected at 39 with the lower weight 34 and at 40 with the valve stem 38.

The latter has a yoke 4 7) in the slot 42 ofwhich the connecting pin 40 is ref( ceived. lhepurpose of the slot is to permit a certain yamount of slack inthe automatic trip system before there is any tendencyvto j open the air valve 15. A bracket 43 on top of the container 14 guides the exposedv end of the valvev stem. A packingbox. 44 also in.

the top of the container slidably receives the valve stem. The` bracket and packing box are sufcient to keep the air valve in lineV with 'the guide 45 (Fig. 9) .l

A gland 46 (Fig. 8), which is adjustable by the nuts 47 on studs 48, bears upon a packing 49 in a more or less familiar manner.-

The purpose of the packing is to prevent the escape of compressed air or other propelling fluid with lwhich the container' 14 is supplied through a liller valve 50 (Fig. 4) A gauge 51 registers the pressure, and a safety valve 52 of the pop-off type permits the escape of fluid when the pressure becomes excessive. Y

The guide 45 formerly alluded to (Fig-9). comprisesY a sleeve that is part of a flanged nipple 53 that is secured to the bottom of the container 14. rlhe sleeve extends up through an openingl 54 in the bottom of the container, and the adjoining part 55 constitutes a. seat for the valve 15. Thisfs a tapering seat.l and the inner wall of the guide 45 tapers toward the seat. lt is by virtue of this that the valve will be guided toward the seat should there be any tendency of the latterjto slightly depart from the central posit-ion while unseated.

Any suitable connection can be established between the nipple 53 and the top of the container 13. The latter has a filler valve 56 through which the chemical is introduced. This may comprise carbon tetrachloride or some other fire extinguishing agent. A framework 57 supports both containers, and braces 58 support the rigid portion 11 of the main feed pipe upon the framework.

A sealer valve, generally designated 59 (Figs. 4 and 10) acts as a back check in reference to the main pipe. It prevents the entrance of any foreign substance into the container 13 but is arranged to open very quickly and easily in case fluid under pressure in the container 14 is discharged into the container 13. Y

A spring 60 (Fig. 10) keeps a sealing disk 61 carried by the head 62 seated against a union 63. The stem 64 slides and is guided in the bore 65 of a cap 66. A washer 67, interposed between the valve 59 and cap 66 serves as the abutment for one end of the spring, and by virtue of having a hole to receive the stem 64 assists in guiding the latter.

The operation is readily understood. The container 14 holds a propelling agent which, in the instance herein cited, will comprise compressed air. This is sealed in the container by the air valve 15, the purpose of which is to prevent any escape of the compressed air or leakage thereof into the chemical container 13 as long as the extinguisher is not in operation.

The container 13 holds an extinguishing agent. The inlet is sealed by the air valve 15 and the outlet by the disk 61 (Fig. 10) of the sealer valve 59. These valves prevent the entrance of any contaminating substance from either direction. It may be explained in passing, that the container 13 is suspended from the container 14 by brackets such as shown in Fig. 4. An additional purpose of the guide 45 of the valve 15 is to prevent the entrance of any moisture that might collect in the bottom of the container 14 into the container 13. Such moisture may be drained from time to time by the drain valve shown.

The set position of the trip release comprises the insertion of the destructible link 28 (Fig. 11) between the shackles 27 of the anchor and trip rods 22 and 24. Also the suspension of the streamer 29 from the link. This streamer leads down to the oil level, and should a fire occur it will instantly consume the streamer and in doing so, reach the link 28.

As soon as the latter is consumed the hanger rod 32 will instantly fall and should the lower weight 34 fail to fall with it, the upper weight 33 will immediately impart a blow thereto that will rock the trip lever 36 on its fulcrum 37, thus lifting the valve stem flected outwardly by the plates 17 so that the internal atmosphere will be permeated.

The statement .will bear repetition that the propelling and extinguishing agents are stored in separate containers, it being noted in particular that there is no pressure on the extinguishing agent until lire has destroyedk the destructible link 28 of the automatic trip release. It is also to be noted in Fig. 4 that the sealer valve 59 is located well above the level of the substance in the chemical container 13. The former will thus not be affected by the chemical substance, and there will be no likelihood of its sticking in a moment of necessity.

While the construction and arrangement of the improved fire extinguisher is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim 1. A re extinguisher comprising compressed air and chemical containers having a connection therebetween defining a seat, a valve engaging the seat and having a stem, a lever connected at one end with the stem and having a weight at the other end,V a stud on said weight slidably receiving a second weight, trip mechanism including a rod by which the second weight is held suspended above the first weight, and a link also included in said mechanism being destructible by fire to permit either a simultaneous lowering of the weights or the striking of the second weight against the first to move the lever for an opening of the valve.

2. A device for cont-rolling flow through a pipe comprising a valve, a trip lever having connection with the valve, a weight carried by said lever, a second weight spaced above the lever weight, means carried by one of the weights for guiding the spaced weight into contact with the lever weight and for limiting the separation of the weight, a pair of flexibly joined rods one of which is connected to the spaced weight, the other of which is mounted for slidable movement, an anchor rod, and adestructible link by which said anchor rod and slidable rod are releasably joined, the said rods and'link being arranged to maintain the weights spaced and in position to normally maintain the trip lever in valve closing position.

3. A lire extinguisher comprising compressed air and chemical containers having a Connection therebetween dening a seat, a valve engaging the seat andi' having a stein, `a lever connected. at one end With the stein and having a Weight at the other end, a stud on said Weight sliclably receiving a second Weight, trip mechanism including a rod, bv Which the second Weight 1s held suspendi I0? eti above the first Weight, a link also included in said mechanism being destructble by fire to permit either a simultaneous lowering of the Weights or the striking of the second Weight against the first to move the lever for 15 an opening of the valve, and an iniiainmable streamer leading from said link.

Signed at San Angelo in the county of Tom Green and State of Texas, this 20th day of February, A. D. 1929.

JOHN G. SCHOOLER. 

